Dancing With the Stars

Will the season 28 cast of Dancing With the Stars prove they’ve got the moves to win your heart? The fellas and belles of the ballroom catch up with Us

HANNAH BROWN

The Bachelorette alum, 24, is a real perfectionist. “I’m my own toughest critic when I don’t do things right,” Brown tells Us. Good thing she’s got lots of people in her corner cheering her on, including Bachelor Nation’s Chris Harrison and Demi Burnett. “Demi is one of my best friends,” says Brown. “I sent her a clip and she literally started crying over my dancing.”

LAMAR ODOM

Basketball players haven’t historically done well on DWTS, but Odom is betting he’ll break the streak — that

is, if the 6-foot-10 ex-NBA pro can follow a few rules. “I like to dance, but I just have to remember to bend my

knees,” he says. Odom, 39, definitely has his eyes on the prize. “I’m a champ — and champions always

want to win.”

SEAN SPICER

The former White House press secretary is first to admit that the odds are stacked against him. “I’m a horrendous dancer. I’m rhythmically challenged,” he says, adding that at 48, “there are moves my body just has no intention of ever making happen.” Still, he’s making progress. “I’ll look at a video and be like, Wow, that actually looked like a real dance!”

KARAMO BROWN

Queer Eye’s talk therapist, 38, admits he’s had his ups and downs in rehearsal. “Some days I walk in there and I’m like, Oh my gosh, I’m Beyoncé. And then other days I walk in there and I’m like, Oh my gosh, I’m not Beyoncé.” Whether

or not he can get in formation, ”I want that Mirrorball,” says Brown. “I’ve already dusted off a spot in my house

for it.”

KATE FLANNERY

After playing a frump on

The Office for nine seasons, Flannery, 55, can’t wait to get her bling on. While she huffed and puffed her way through rehearsals (“I kept having to ‘go to the bathroom’ when I really just needed to catch my breath,” she says) and admits she’s “scared to death,” Flannery knows how to combat her fear: “I just have to shut up

and dance.”

JAMES VAN DER BEEK

He’s getting back to his roots! The Dawson’s

Creek star, who started out in theater, is thrilled to be on stage again. “It’s my happy place,” he says. “I miss that direct connection with the audience.” The actor, 42, is also excited to see his kids’ reaction: “I’m looking forward to them watching me do something they know I basically learned a week

ago,” he says.

LAUREN ALAINA

A runner-up on American Idol in 2011, the country music singer, 24, is used to televised competitions — but

DWTS “is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she says —and she really doesn’t sugarcoat it: “My feet hurt and I have blisters, and my back… I feel like someone strung me up by my hands and hit me with a baseball bat! It’s like an

Olympic sport.”

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY

The supermodel, 65, is a pro at striking a pose. But ballroom dancing? There she’s less confident: “I’m like, Are my feet in the right place? My stomach, my butt? There’s a lot to think about.” But Brinkley, who turned down earlier offers to be on the show, is excited for the challenge. “It opens up a whole new experience. I really wish I’d said yes a

lot sooner!”